All I Wanna Do
by xxraug-mossxx
Summary: It was a rainy night when she came into sight, standing by the road, no umbrella, no coat. So I pulled up alongside and I offered her a ride. / SwanQueen / Regina didn't plan on sleeping with the blonde stranger after knowing her for mere hours, but even less did she plan on falling for her.
1. All I Wanna Do

**A/N:** my first song fic ever. I heard '_All I wanna do is make love to you'_ by Halestorm and simply couldn't resist writing. inspiration for this comes solely from Halestorm's amazing cover version of the song. it gives me feels. I suggest listening to it before or while reading.

enjoy the chapter and leave a review.

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**1.**

_It was a rainy night  
When he came into sight,  
Standing by the road,  
No umbrella, no coat.  
So I pulled up alongside  
And I offered him a ride.  
He accepted with a smile,  
So we drove for a while.  
I didn't ask him his name,  
This lonely boy in the rain.  
Fate, tell me it's right,  
Is this love at first sight?  
Please don't make it wrong,  
Just stay for the night._

_All I wanna do is make love to you_  
_Say you will_  
_You want me too_  
_All I wanna do is make love to you_  
_I've got lovin' arms to hold on to_

It was raining, or more like pouring. The rain was coming down so hard, Regina could barely see the road. Her windshield wipers couldn't keep up with the rivers rushing down her car. She had to drive slowly because she feared that the tires might give out under this onslaught of weather conditions. The last thing she needed was to end up in a ditch by the side of the road when Henry was waiting for her to get home from her trip to Boston.

Her car was alone on the broad street that lead through a forested part of the country. No one wanted to go out into this weather and she couldn't blame the people for staying home, but her business meeting would've been much more successful if everyone had actually attended. She would let them know how much she hated being stood up.

At least she'd finally managed to have that meeting with her lawyer in Boston. A queasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach at the thought of the folder sitting safely tucked away in her bag.

She slowly drove around a corner, still more trees blocking her view, when she saw something by the side of the road. A shadow of an animal maybe. She slowed down to avoid colliding with any kind of wildlife when she realized that a person was actually standing in the pouring rain, holding up their arm and waving at her.

She sure wasn't going to stop for a stranger on the side of the road during a rainstorm, or so she thought. As she drove by, she could see the person more clearly. Blonde hair was spilling from under the drenched hood she had pulled over her head. It was a woman.  
Regina felt her foot pressing down on the brakes and her car came to halt a few feet away from the stranger. The woman immediately hurried over to her car and opened the door, not getting in right away.

"Hey, thank you for stopping. Can you take me to the next town?"

The woman had to yell over the noise of the rain still clattering onto the roof of her car. Green-grayish eyes were peeking at her from underneath the hood and Regina could see that she was completely soaked to the skin, shaking with the cold seeping into her wet clothes.  
Regina eyed her leather seats warily. What had she been thinking? But she could hardly drive on and let the woman stand here in the middle of the night. There were no other cars anywhere in sight.

"Yes, get in," she said, wincing at the squishing sound the woman's wet clothes made as she sat down. As soon as the door was slammed close, she pulled away from the curb and drove into the night.  
There was an awkward silence while the blonde struggled out of her jacket, revealing a hoodie that was just as thoroughly soaked. Regina reached over and cranked up the heat. The woman flashed her a brief smile.

"Thanks."

She simply nodded and focused on the road. She wasn't sure how far the next town was, but it couldn't be more than half an hour. Storybrooke was still two hours away but she wanted to get back home before Henry went to bed.  
Unfortunately the weather was getting even worse. The rain didn't stop, instead lightning flashed across the sky not too far away, followed by a deafening boom of thunder. Regina flinched involuntarily and glanced over at her fellow passenger, seeing her do the same. The blonde had not just taken off her leather jacket but also her hoodie, both items now pooled at her feet along with a wet excuse of a duffel bag.

Regina was slightly perplexed by the sight. Strong lean arms flexed as the women pulled on her seatbelt uncomfortably as another loud bang of thunder shook the car. The white tank top she wore was also completely soaked, revealing the black bra she wore underneath. Regina swallowed and forced her eyes back onto the road. What was wrong with her?  
She clenched and unclenched her hands around the steering wheel, suddenly feeling way too hot. But she left the heat blasting at full power because the blonde next to her was still shaking pitifully.

After another mile or two they still hadn't spoken another word. The thunder would've drowned out most of their words anyway. The thunderstorm was now so awful that driving was nearly impossible. The road was just a blurry black patch of land, her headlights barely cutting through the waterfall outside.  
Regina exhaled through her nose in annoyance. This was not how she had planned her drive back home to be. She was about to comment on the awful weather when she felt eyes on her and turned her head to the side. The blonde was gazing at her, but immediately blushed at being caught and averted her eyes to look out of the front window again. Regina smirked and suddenly a flash of lightning sliced through the nightly darkness and crashed into a tree right beside them.

"Shit!"

Regina jerked her steering wheel around and her car did a little spin on the wet road, tires screeching. It came to a halt in the middle of the road, squarely in the way of any possible oncoming traffic. The engine sputtered and died.  
Regina was too shocked to react immediately and just sat there, breathing heavily, holding on to the steering wheel like a vice. Small clouds of smoke were coming from a tree behind them where it was perfectly split in half, right down the middle. Regina stared at it wide-eyed in the rearview mirror until she felt a hand on her upper arm. She turned and looked at the woman next to her whose face was a tad whiter than before.

"You okay?"

Regina nodded, feeling the heat of the hand on her arm all the way through her jacket and blouse. She licked her dry lips and nodded again, this time more to herself.

"Maybe we should get off the road until this is over," the woman said and nodded toward a sign on the side of the road ahead of them Regina hadn't even noticed. It advertised a hotel not too far at the next exit. She was about to shake her head, she wanted to be home in time to at least tuck Henry in, but another streak of lightning right in front of them made her change her mind.

It was then that the woman took her hand away, blushing faintly as if just realizing that it had been resting against her arm all this time. Regina looked at the blonde, her eyes travelling from sculptured cheekbones down to a long slender neck and beautiful toned arms.

"Okay," Regina croaked.

She cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed at the dark tone her voice had dropped to. The other woman just stared at her with an unidentifiable look as she bit her lower lip.  
Regina tore her eyes away and started the car. They needed to get back to the right side of the road before someone crashed into them in this awful weather. She took a quiet breath and turned around, heading toward the next exit and the hotel.

_So we found this hotel,  
It was a place I knew well  
We made magic that night.  
Oh, he did everything right  
He brought the woman out of me,  
So many times, easily_

_All I wanna do is make love to you_  
_One night of love was all we knew_  
_All I wanna do is make love to you_  
_I've got lovin' arms to hold on to_

_Oh, oooh, we made love_  
_Love like strangers_  
_All night long_  
_We made love_

The silence that engulfed them was not uncomfortable. Regina eventually turned down the heat while her windshield wipers still furiously moved back and forth. She almost missed the exit if the blonde hadn't pointed it out in the last moment.

Soon she found herself staring up at a large red neon sign that read 'Hotel', glaring like a beacon in the otherwise black night.  
The door to the front desk was across the parking lot filled with cars. Regina cursed under her breath for not thinking of bringing an umbrella. Clearly the blonde didn't possess one either, so by the time she made it across the parking lot she would be soaked.

"I can go get rooms," the blonde offered, "I don't think the storm will ease up until morning. We should probably stay here until then. If you don't have somewhere important to be that is worth risking your life over."

The blonde smiled crookedly at her and Regina felt her pulse beating faster in her neck. She nodded quietly and unbuckled her seatbelt, turning off the ignition and holding the key in her hand. She wasn't sure why she wanted the blonde to know that she wouldn't just drive off while she went inside.

"I'll be right back," the other woman said and slung her jacket around her slender shoulders before jumping out of the car and hastening toward the main entrance.

Regina took the time to look around. The hotel seemed decent enough but couldn't compare to the upscale suites she usually stayed in when she had to leave Storybrooke for a night. It happened seldomly enough.  
Each hotel room seemed to have a separate entrance as the many doors in the two-story building suggested. Everything looked dark and somewhat lonely. A place where people only passed by, but no one ever decided to stay. She knew that kind of place well.

She heaved a quiet sigh and flinched when thunder cracked across the sky like a whip. That moment in the forest had been too close. The lightning could've hit a large tree right in front of them and they would've been squashed to death in the car. A shudder went through her at the mere thought. She pulled her jacket tighter around herself and looked down at her matching dark blue slacks.  
What had she been thinking, picking up a stranger from the side of the road? The blonde could've been some crazy axe murderer. She raised her eyebrow at herself in the rearview mirror. Very smooth, doubting her decision after it was already made.

She jumped slightly when the door opened again and the blonde plopped into the seat, bringing all the wetness and cold from outside with her. Regina shivered and saw her do the same. A key was dangling from long slender fingers as apologetic green-grayish eyes peeked at her from under the wet hood of her gray hoodie.

"They only had one room available. But the guy said the bed is big enough to share. Sorry. I know it's weird. But I can take the floor."

The blonde smiled and Regina got that weird feeling in her stomach again. She felt like some silly teenager about to do something secret and naughty on prom night.

"That's okay," she heard herself say.  
Was it? She couldn't even remember the last time she'd shared a bed with someone else than Henry. The thought of her son spurred her into a flurry of motion. She had to call him.

"Which room is it?" she asked while twisting around to grab her overcoat and purse. She regarded the black leather bag sitting on her backseat with scrunched eyebrows but turned away from it with a frown. It could wait.

"Second floor, one oh one."

The blonde squinted at the dark building ahead of them but it was impossible to make out the numbers on the doors from that distance. Regina sighed quietly when she saw that the stairs leading up to the second level of the building were on the other side of the parking lot, even further away than the door to the front desk had been. There was absolutely no other parking space available so they had to walk across the parking lot whether they wanted to or not.

"Ready?" the blonde asked, hand already on the door.

Regina sighed again and nodded. She pushed the door open and cold rain immediately gushed into her face and down the front of her coat. The blonde was already halfway across the parking lot by the time she had locked her car and followed after her. Her hair was plastered to her skull when she reached the stairs. She felt the water soaking through her coat and slipping down her neck and into her blouse.

Even though she tried to hold her purse and parts of her coat over her head it felt like the rain was coming from everywhere at once. Wet her hair was sticking to her cheeks, blocking her view as she ascended the stairs. Everything was kind of slippery and her heels were obviously not the best choice for this kind of weather. She tried to make her way carefully up the stairs to the second floor but felt herself slipping and stumbling on the last step. With her arms still clutching her purse and holding her coat she couldn't even brace herself against the fall. But before she could hit the dirty concrete with her face, strong arms wrapped around her and she was squished against a wet hoodie instead. A quiet 'oof' escaped the other woman as she awkwardly bent down to catch Regina mid-fall.  
Her face was only inches away from the blonde's lips.

"You okay?"

Regina blinked and nodded, eyes still fixed on shapely thin lips.

"Yes I'm fine. I just slipped."

"Yeah, I saw that."

The woman helped Regina back to her feet and made sure she was steady on her legs before taking coat and purse from her.

"I'll carry that. The room is right up ahead."

Regina found herself nodding again. She usually wouldn't give her coat, let alone her purse, to a stranger, but she was still a little shaken from almost fall. She started walking toward the room, the rain finally blocked by a low roof above her, and felt a hand coming to rest at the small of her back. She inhaled sharply and turned her head to look at the woman walking beside her. Either she was ignoring Regina's reaction or she wasn't aware of what she was doing, but the hand stayed firmly in place. For some reason it was hot like furnace and burning right through Regina's jacket and blouse.

She knew she was imagining it, there was no way she could feel the blonde's body heat through her clothes, but still her entire face felt flushed from the contact. After passing a couple of identical doors the blonde finally stopped and fished the keys out of the front pocket of her hoodie. The lock was somewhat jammed so she had to bump her shoulder several times against the brittle wood before the door finally opened. She stepped aside and let Regina move into the room first. It was completely dark and Regina fiddled for the light switch for several seconds until the lamp above finally flickered to life.

The room was fairly unimpressive. A queen-sized double bed on one side and a table with a tiny television on the other. There was a small walk-in closet across from her and a door next to it that most likely led to the bathroom. Regina turned and took her coat and purse back from the blonde before she closed the door.

"You can…"

"If you want…"

They started talking at the same time and Regina motioned with her hand.

"You first."

"I just wanted to say that you can go ahead and use the bathroom."

"But you've been standing out there in the rain for much longer."

"Yeah, so I guess it won't matter if I'm wet for a couple of more minutes," the blonde said and immediately blushed a delightful shade of red. Regina raised an eyebrow, barely containing her smirk.

"Fine. You stay wet then. I'll take a quick shower."

The blonde cleared her throat and threw her duffel bag to the ground next to her.

"Okay. I'll be here."

Regina smiled and turned to walk to the bathroom, her hand already on the doorknob.

"Wait. Do you have anything dry you can change into?"

Regina turned back around and looked down at herself, then over to her purse, raising her shoulders in a half-shrug.

"No."

"I might have something for you to wear. For the night, so you can hang your stuff up to dry," the blonde said and knelt down next to her bag. She began rummaging through its contents and eventually pulled a white tank top and blue shorts out into view. She held the two items up for Regina to see.

"They're dry. And freshly washed of course, after I bought them. I mean I've never had them on before. Nobody had. I just got them the other day. They're not the nicest clothes, I know, but they should be okay for a night. If you want."

Regina initial reluctance vanished at the blonde's very endearing flow of words. She walked across the room and took the items from her with a smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do after you picked me up and helped me get out of the rain."

The blonde laughed nervously and looked down at her bag. Regina pursed her lips. It was true, if she hadn't stopped on that road, who knew when the next car would've come by. And maybe lightning would've hit a tree near the blonde and she would've been buried underneath tons of branches.

Those negative thoughts accompanied her into the bathroom. She slowly peeled away each soaked article of clothing, dropping one after the other to the floor. She stepped out of her drenched slacks and grimaced at the feel of them sliding down her legs. After she had undressed she gathered everything in her arms and hung it over an empty towel rack.

Regina turned on the water and held her hand under the spray, sighing at the warmth that immediately engulfed her. She stepped into the shower stall and closed her eyes, letting the hot water chase away the cold in her limbs.

She would've liked to stay in the shower longer but the blonde was waiting to warm up as well she quickly stepped out of it and dried her body with a white scratchy towel. She pulled the tank top over her head and the shorts up her legs before standing in front of the large mirror to regard her reflection. Regina raised her eyebrows at what she saw. Only clad in a white tank top and shorts she looked nothing like the sophisticated mayor she wanted to see when she gazed at herself in the mornings. Regina smiled to herself and shook her head, bending forward to towel off her hair. This was so unlike her. When she got ready to go to Boston this morning she would've never expected to end up in some hotel room with a complete stranger. But there was no changing her current situation, might as well try to get some sleep so she would be ready to drive back to Storybrooke in the morning.

She left the bathroom and found her new companion sitting on the small chair in front of the desk. She'd taken off her hoodie and was now only clad in a white tank top herself. Her arms were lying on the desk's dusty surface with her head resting on them. Regina stared transfixed at a strong back and sinewy shoulders. Blonde curls spilled down the woman's back. Regina wasn't sure if she'd fallen asleep so she cleared her throat.

"I'm done."

The blonde's entire upper body jerked up off the desk and she turned so quickly that she looked disoriented for a moment. Her mouth opened when she took in Regina's form. She blinked her eyes several times, seemingly trying to say something, anything. Regina began fidgeting under the gaze and walked over to the bed to sit down.

"The bathroom is all yours."

"Oh…uh…thanks."

The blonde tore her eyes away with some difficulty and eventually disappeared into the bathroom. Regina shook her head at herself and grabbed her purse. She took a deep breath and exhaled it noisily before she pulled out her phone and speed dialed Kathryn's number. Henry picked up after the first ring.

"Mom?"

"Yes it's me dear. I'm calling to let you know that I won't be coming home tonight. There is a storm and I'm stuck at a hotel until it passes."

"Are you alright though?"

"Yes I'm fine. Just got a little wet."

Regina coughed and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Is Kathryn there?"

"Yeah she's here. Be careful mom, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sleep well sweetheart. We'll go to Granny's for breakfast tomorrow, okay?"

"Great. Love you," Henry answered excitedly before there was some rustling.

"Regina? Hey, are you okay? I was starting to get worried."

"I'm fine, just got surprised by a rainstorm. I'll be back in the morning, can you keep Henry until then?"

"Yes of course. It's past his bedtime anyway, but he wouldn't go to sleep without knowing that you're okay."

"I am, no worries. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Alright, take care, bye."

"Bye."

When Regina turned to put her phone back into her purse she was surprised to see the blonde standing in the doorway to the bathroom. She must've just opened it because steam was coming from the bathroom behind her.

"Sorry, I forgot my own clothes," she said, nodding toward the duffel bag across the room.

She had only a flimsy white towel wrapped around her body as she strode through the room. Regina swallowed thickly, her eyes inevitably glued to perfect lean legs. The towel barely covered the blonde's ass and she glimpsed a part of two shapely round globes.

She jumped up from the bed and hurried over to the blonde, picking the duffel bag up and shoving it into her arms. She was pretty certain that she could not survive seeing her crouch down to rummage through it with just that towel protecting her modesty.  
Confused gray-greenish eyes gazed at her.

"What…?"

Regina looked at everything but the blonde. This was ridiculous. She wanted something she knew she shouldn't, and despite her usually demanding nature she couldn't just go and pursue it - pursue her. She didn't even know the other woman's name for crying out loud.

She adamantly stared down at her hands, the duffel bag the only barrier between them, when the blonde unceremoniously dropped it and stepped so close to Regina that they were breathing the same air. She wasn't thinking clearly, couldn't - even if she tried, and her mind decided to cease working when she felt soft lips pressing against her own.

-TBC-


	2. Is Make Love To You

**A/N:** I should really stop reading amazing fics while writing. makes me rewrite and change things every time, hence less updating more pondering on plot and grammar.

anyways, happy new year everyone. let's hope there'll be more amazing fic in 2014.

also for this chapter an M rating will apply, there is some explicit stuff, if that's not for you, move on.

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**2.**

_Oh, oooh, we made love  
Love like strangers  
All night long  
We made love_

She couldn't focus with those lips moving against her neck so very deliciously. This was wrong. She shouldn't be doing this, but somehow she couldn't come up with a single reason why. She was stumbling backwards, the blonde's hands on her lower back and shoulder, until she felt the bed hit the inside of her knees. She stopped abruptly, her back tensing. The blonde looked up from where she had been pressing soft wonderful kisses against Regina's pulse point.

"Is this okay?"

Regina blinked. Her body was on fire. She was sweating despite the noticeable chill in the air. The blonde was only wrapped in a flimsy white towel and all it took was a simple flick of her wrist and she would have her standing naked before her. How could this not be okay?

"You… you don't have someone, or do you? I mean at home," the blonde asked tentatively, her hands slipping from Regina. She quickly shook her head and grabbed a hold of the towel where it was held together by a simple makeshift knot.

"No. No I don't."

Her thoughts briefly returned to Henry. Yes she had him, he was her son, but that didn't mean she couldn't do something irresponsible for once and just sleep with this gorgeous woman. She deserved it. And by the way her lower belly tightened and wetness gathered between her thighs, she was sure that she couldn't stop even if she tried.

She moved her wrist around and removed her hand, the towel finally falling to the floor in one silent motion. The blonde's eyes, Regina couldn't tell what exact color they were, widened. A smile spread across her features as she took in the sight. She slowly raised her hand and let it trail from the blonde's collar bone down to her hip where it came to rest on warm skin. The blonde's breathing became labored and she moved so that her entire body was pressed against Regina's. She kept her eyes trained on the face coming closer and closer until lips moved against her own. The kiss was perfect, passionate in its attempt and soft in its execution. Regina parted her lips and was immediately greeted by a curious tongue traveling across her lower lip. She moaned somewhere in the back of her throat, unable to keep quiet while her senses were overflowing. The heat she thought she'd felt through her coat earlier from the blonde was now engulfing her completely. Even the thin tank top and boy shorts she was wearing felt like way too much clothing. The blonde seemed to agree as her hands crawled underneath the hem of the shirt and fingers brushed across Regina's stomach.

The blonde's nipples were rubbing against her chest and all she could was keep breathing in a semi-normal pattern to stop herself from becoming light-headed. The tank top slid across her skin, tingling ever so deliciously, until it was lifted up and over her head.

She expected to gaze into grayish-green eyes again as soon as the garment was discarded, but instead soft lips wrapped around her nipple and Regina almost cried out in surprise. She arched her back, the blonde's hands on her back pulling her even closer. This time a loud moan made its way past her lips and she closed her eyes, head rolling backwards at the sensation. A tongue snaked across her painfully sensitive nipple as long slender fingers massaged her other breast.

This was too good to be true. Her hands were aimlessly buried in still damp golden hair as she held that wonderful mouth close to her chest. This was insane. And so good.

"I've been wanting to do that since the moment you stopped on the road," the blonde mumbled, licking her lips as if savoring some delicious flavor.

Regina grabbed her hips with both hands and turned them both around so that the blonde was now with her back to the bed. A simple push was all it took for her to fall down onto the squeaking mattress.

Regina hooked her thumbs into the waistband of the shorts and pushed them down her legs. The other woman's eyes were glued to the descending article of clothing until Regina kicked it away.

"I thought you looked incredible in my stuff, but this is so much better, so much…"

Regina smirked, enjoying the blonde's gaze traveling across her naked body. She was confident enough to know what kind of effect she tended to have on lovers – not that she'd had any in the recent past. The look Emma gave her was still stroking her ego like a purring cat, instilling her with confidence.

The blonde scooted back as Regina moved to kneel on the bed, following her until she was holding herself up on hands and knees, hovering above her. All doubt was erased from her mind like a blank slate. This was right and she knew she wanted it. No turning back now.

She took a quiet breath before lowering her body to come flush with the blonde's. A thigh sneaked between her thighs and the pressure it provided made Regina exhale loudly. The blonde raised her head and captured her lips in a kiss, soft and gentle. Regina rested her elbows on either side of the blonde's face, her hips starting to move in a wonderful rhythm. She spread her legs and allowed her clit to brush over a strong thigh over and over again. She was painting the blonde's thigh with her wetness and the moisture made the friction that much more satisfying. She was moaning in between heavy breathing, the blonde happily taking in every noise from her lips with a kiss.

Hands tangled in her hair and slowly began a steadfast descend, down her neck, shoulders and back until they came to rest on her ass and squeezed hard just as she was thrusting forward again. The sensation caused Regina to break free of their kiss to moan loudly, head thrown back and eyes closed. She'd had no idea that simple friction could feel this good.

The faint scent of rain and shower that still clung to the blonde made Regina lightheaded. She opened her eyes and looked down. The blonde's lips were parted in a moan of her own, her brow creased in pleasure as she moved her thigh intentionally upward to provide Regina with even more pressure. Her chest was flushed and blonde tangles were spread all over the pillow below. Regina relished the sight, quickening her pulse even further.

It all combined into an enticing mixture, the sight, sounds, the smells and the feeling driving her further than she would've expected in such a short time. Her clit was still rubbing against firm skin, faster and faster, and to her complete shock she felt her stomach tightening in waves of an oncoming orgasm.

It was embarrassingly fast. She'd underestimated the fact that she hadn't enjoyed this in so long. Now it was overtaking her in full force.

The blonde once again tightened her hold on her ass, squeezing, and she arched her back, lips parting in a silent scream. She shuddered, every single muscle in her body tightening until she felt like she had no control over herself at all.

"God yes," the blonde breathed, holding Regina steady against her until she relaxed again, rubbing her hands up and down the damp expanse of Regina's back.

"I'm sorry…that was… I didn't mean to…" Regina mumbled, her cheek pressed against the blonde's chest. She closed her eyes and tried to fight the rising blush she knew was creeping across her chest and neck. Her orgasm had been wonderful, but the quickness of it now seemed pathetic. She sighed.

Gentle fingers came to rest on her chin as her head was tilted upward. She was forced to raise her head and eventually opened her eyes to look at the blonde who was still cradling her in a warm embrace.

"I hope you're not apologizing for what just happened. You were breathtaking."

The blonde smiled and leaned down, claiming Regina's lips in a kiss before moving to whisper into her ear.

"I almost came from just watching you."

Her breath left her in one fell swoop and the warm puffs of air dancing against her ear as well as the words whispered seemed to make straight contact between her legs, her stomach tightening with renewed arousal. How did the blonde manage to do and say just the right things?

She raised herself up on her elbows and leaned down to capture delicious thin lips in a kiss before trailing further south. She buried one hand in tangled blond hair while the other skirted around the underside of a perfect breast, her thumb stretching out to flutter over a hardened nipple. The blonde's back arched as her eyes closed slowly.

"Don't stop," she encouraged breathlessly as Regina's hand untangled from her hair and moved across the toned planes of her body until it came to rest on her thigh. Regina felt the muscles flexing underneath her palm and she licked her lips, slowly lowering her mouth to the breast that she had neglected so far. The nipple hardened against her tongue as she swiped it back and forth across the peak.

Her hand on the blonde's thigh began massaging the warm skin, venturing further and further inward with each touch, closer to where wet heat was begging her to go.

She skimmed her fingertips along moist folds, just the gentlest of touches, but the blonde's upper body flew off the bed so she was sitting upright, staring down at Regina.

"I need you… please."

The hushed words rushed over Regina like a warm blanket, causing beads of sweat to run down her temples. She couldn't remember ever being this aroused just by touching another person. Hands tangled in her hair, pressing her mouth against the blonde's chest more firmly. She carefully closed her teeth around a hard nipple still between her lips and earned herself a guttural moan from above. She smirked against the flushed skin, her fingers finally dragging through drenched folds, down and up the blonde's entire length to rub moisture across her engorged clit. She was shaking, the hands in her hair rhythmically massaging Regina's scalp while the muscles of the blonde's abdomen quivered with the strain of holding her hips still.

"I need to feel you."

The words were barely above a whisper, but with adrenaline rushing through Regina's veins her heightened senses picked them up anyway. She removed her mouth from the blonde's chest and shifted on the bed, scooting forward until she was almost straddling her lap. Her hand was trapped between their bodies and she leaned forward to claim another kiss from swollen red lips just as she gently pushed a single digit into velvet heat. The blonde's entire body shuddered as she moaned into Regina's mouth. She raked her nails down Regina's back, most likely leaving angry marks for her to admire in the morning. Regina hissed at the pain and leaned back, her lips traveling to the blonde's neck where she bit down in retaliation. She used that moment of new sensations to add another finger to the one still buried in the blonde. She hadn't began moving yet, but the blonde's hips were slowly rocking back and forth, trying to establish some erratic rhythm.

"Say something."

Regina's eyes snapped up to the blonde's face, brow drawn in confusion.

"Just… say something. Fuck… your voice is like… pure sex… and I… god… I just want to hear it."

Regina smirked at that and leaned forward, her lips right next to the blonde's ear.

"It's feels so good to be inside of you," she whispered, her voice dropping to the octave she usually reserved for the mayor who was aiming to intimidate an opponent or townsfolk at council meetings. It had the desired effect. The blonde shuddered and held onto her that much harder.

The air smelled of sex and Regina inhaled deeply, savoring the scent, the feeling, the taste. She licked across the bite marks she'd made and concentrated on the feel of the blonde's inner walls drawing her fingers in deeper. She began moving in and out of her slowly, teasingly, enjoying each and every shudder that raced through the blonde. She kept her eyes trained on her face, contorted with pleasure. It was the most mesmerizing sight. Each furrow of her brow and parting of the blonde's lips told Regina when she was reaching a particular sweet spot so she kept on moving steadily, in and out, the only sounds filling the room their heavy breathing and the slick noise of their movements.

"I know you're close. You want to come, don't you?" Regina mumbled.

The blonde nodded, her lips parting.

"Yes, hell yes."

By the time she added a third finger, the blonde was dripping down her wrist, making it that much more easy to move inside of her. Regina parted her lips in anticipation, leaning forward, when her fingers brushed across a rough patch of skin.

The blonde groaned loudly, her back a perfect arch as she rocked into the fingers inside her. Regina's nipples brushed against the blonde's chest and she bit her lower lip, forcing her eyes to stay open to witness this spectacle.

"You're gorgeous like that, come for me."

The blonde's entire body was taut like bow-string as Regina's fingers were held in tight confines. Her groan turned into a long-drawn scream as she shuddered heavily.

Regina wrapped her free arm around the blonde's shoulders, holding her close as she collapsed against her when her orgasm slowly subsided.

The blonde's head rolled forward, forehead coming to rest on Regina's shoulder while she gently rocked her hips against the fingers still inside her. She was breathing heavily, her muscles completely relaxed while Regina still held her tightly.

She closed her eyes and mimicked the blonde's position, her lips pressing against a spot beneath the blonde's ear.

"That was… that was fucking amazing," the blonde eventually whispered, warm puffs of air dancing across Regina's collarbone. She smiled into the blonde's hair and let her hands wander across the expanse of her back, feeling each curve with her palms.

She slowly entangled herself from between the blonde's legs and crawled under the covers of the bed. They felt scratchy on her naked skin, much different from the silken ones at her house, but the warm body that pressed into her side more than made up for the slight discomfort. The blonde propped herself up on an elbow and gazed down at Regina who was resting on her back. Slightly roughened hands traveled along her sides, skipping across her chest and down to her thighs.

Regina licked her lips and turned her eyes to the woman spread out beside her. This was still crazy. But she was far from satisfied, and by the look the blonde was giving her she felt the same way.

"Ready for another round?" she asked with a grin.

Regina found the other woman to be completely adorable, a sentiment she hardly ever encountered. This mixture between raw sexuality and carefree easiness made the blonde completely addictive. Regina tensed for a moment. She hardly ever got attached when she embarked on a quick and painless affair to satisfy some of her more carnal needs, but this time she already felt more connected to this woman than to any of her other conquests.

She reminded herself that there was really no need to worry. She didn't even know the blonde's name. There was no way this could be anything else than a chance encounter between strangers. So why did her chest feel constricted and heavy at the knowledge?

"You okay?"

The blonde's hand had come to rest on her stomach where her thumb was gently stroking back and forth. She seemed unaware of it as green-grayish eyes peered at Regina from a still beautifully flushed face. She smiled and nodded quickly.

"Yes I'm fine… in fact I'm better than that."

She reached out to cover the hand on her stomach with her own and guided it down until it was resting between her thighs. The blonde's eyes darkened to an interesting shade of green as she began moving her fingers, rubbing tiny circles until she reached her clit. Regina groaned darkly from deep within her chest and closed her eyes. Oh yeah, she was ready for another round. And maybe another one after that.

-TBC-


	3. All Night Long

**A/N: **can't stop listening to Frozen's (Idina Menzel's) _Let it go _*sigh*

* * *

**3.**

_And in the morning when he woke_

_all I left him was a note  
I told him  
I am the flower you are the seed  
We walked in the garden  
We planted a tree  
Now baby don't try to find me,  
Please don't you dare  
Just live in my memory,  
You'll always be there_

Regina took a deep breath and immediately winced. She smelled of sex. And of the blonde. Not even a good amount of perfume could cover up that musky scent. She hadn't had time for a shower. Or she hadn't herself allowed to take one.  
After waking up in a warm embrace, the blonde's body pressed against her entire length from behind, she'd panicked.

She'd grabbed her still slightly damp clothes from the day before and dressed as quietly as she could. A brief look into the mirror on her way out of the door had shown her a frightened and messy version of herself.  
She usually knew how to control her emotions and how to handle any kind of distressing situation, but in that moment she, Regina Mills, had simply panicked and fled from the room in a headless haste.

She had thought to leave a note - words hurriedly scribbled on a piece of paper on the nightstand - but she couldn't for the life of her recall what she'd written. It was as if the words were erased from her memory. Now she was on her way back to Storybrooke, safely tucked away in the confines of her car. The storm had passed and aside from a couple of leaves and some branches on the road no trace of it remained.

The knuckles of her hands around the steering-wheel were white from the death-grip she had on it. She had to shake her head repeatedly to clear away the thoughts that threatened to distract her from the task of driving.

Her clothes clung to her still damp from the rain the previous night and she shivered. She hadn't stopped for gas at the last gas station and now she would barely make it to Storybrooke with what she still had in her tank. So she didn't turn on the heat and instead endured the cold, her teeth clattering pitifully until she saw the 'Welcome to Storybrooke' sign by the side of the road.

Her heart pounded excitedly at the thought of seeing Henry. One hug from him and her world would surely right itself again. She had a job, she had Henry and an overall very comfortable organized life. The previous night wasn't going to throw her off track. She wouldn't let it.  
Thoughts of the blonde stranger plagued her on the entire ride home but she was sure that given a couple of days she would start to forget about her until she was but a pleasant memory.

Regina pulled into the driveway of Kathryn's house and got out of the car. The muscles in her thighs and back ached nicely as she stretched and bent down to the side mirror to check her appearance. She wasn't wearing any make-up but she hoped Kathryn wouldn't notice. She usually made it a point to look impeccable, no matter the occasion, but there just hadn't been any time.

She briefly fussed with her hair that hadn't seen a brush since the day before and made her way to the door. It didn't take more than ten seconds after she had rung the bell until the door was flung open and Henry launched himself into her arms. They hadn't been apart that long, just a night, but to Regina it still felt like a small eternity. She cradled Henry against her chest and leaned down to press a kiss on top of his soft brown hair.

"I've missed you mom."

Regina smiled brightly at him when he raised his eyes to look at her.

"I missed you too dear. Ready for breakfast?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically and turned around to head back into the house, shouting over his shoulder, "I'll get my things."

Regina followed him into the small foyer and smiled at a sleep-tousled Kathryn who was in the process of wrapping a robe around her body. Regina's mind briefly flashed back to another blonde she remembered being clad in only flimsy white towel.

"Hey Regina, good to see you. Are you alright?"

Regina quickly schooled her features back into a friendly smile and nodded.

"I am. Thank you for taking care of Henry. I wouldn't have known what to do without you."

"Oh don't worry about it, you know we love having him here."

Kathryn raked a hand through her hair and stepped closer to Regina, her brows lightly raised.

"Are you sure you are okay though? You look different somehow. Have you not gotten any sleep last night?"

Regina didn't blush but she was dangerously close to it. Instead she simply shrugged.

"The storm kept me awake. And I was mainly just biding my time until I could continue on."

Truth was that she hadn't even noticed the storm after she and the blonde had tumbled onto the bed. She had no idea when it had died down or if it had gotten worse during the night.  
Kathryn opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Henry who bestowed a sideways hug on her before hurrying over to Regina and grabbing her hand.

"Bye Miss Nolan. Let's go mom."

"Goodbye Kathryn. Coffee tomorrow?"

The blonde nodded with a smile and waved when they made their way over to the car and Regina backed out of the driveway. She glanced at Henry in the rearview mirror and caught his eyes. He smiled and so did she. Yes, this was how life was supposed to be. She was happy.

Breakfast with Henry distracted her from a certain blonde stranger while her son entertained her with stories of what had happened at Kathryn's during her absence. Only the odd look Ruby gave her when she walked over to the table reminded Regina that she wasn't entirely looking like her usual self at the moment. She half expected that others might detect a certain scent about her she had yet to get rid of.

So right after dropping Henry off at school, she headed straight home, slipping out of her shoes and dropping her coat to the floor she walked up the stairs and right into the bathroom. She took a long hot shower, needing to wash the memories away. After that nothing would remind of her encounter anymore. No more distractions needed.  
Her workday began just as any other during the past ten years and by the time she had made it to her lunch break, she felt halfway normal again.

She was keeping the treacherous thoughts successfully at bay until she retired to her bedroom that night after making dinner and tucking Henry in. She attempted to read a book but found it completely impossible to focus. So she turned off her bedside lamp and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling of her room.  
Her silken sheets felt cool and soft against her skin, so different from that awful hotel bed. Regna closed her eyes with a sigh. She didn't want to think about that anymore.

But in that state between waking and dreaming her mind betrayed her and she imagined perfect pale skin and blonde curls. Lips dancing across her abdomen, lower and lower until a tongue swirled around her clit and made her gasp with pleasure and surprise. She couldn't remember it ever feeling that good. She'd never come with someone just having their tongue inside of her, licking and stroking, but with the blonde she came so hard that she'd probably woken the entire hotel with her scream.

Regina was breathing heavily as she shot into a sitting position, drenched in cold sweat in the middle of her empty bed. She raked both hands through her disheveled hair, tugging on the knots her fingers got stuck in.

"This is ridiculous," she mumbled to herself and snuggled back into the pillow, determined to not lose any more sleep over this.

The remainder of her night however was restless and she was tossing turning rather than sleeping so that by morning it was Henry who had to wake her when she failed to notice her alarm blaring on the bedside table next to her.  
Henry was worried, but she assured him that she merely hadn't slept well and everything would be just fine. She took him to school after breakfast and went about her day, again as if nothing was out of the ordinary. And nothing really was. There was absolutely no reason to keep thinking about a woman whose name she didn't know and whom she would never see again.

The next couple of nights were spent in a similar fashion, her dreams haunted by alluring memories and images while her days were seemingly endless hours of paperwork and petitions. She'd never found her work as mayor tiring, quite the contrary, she liked being in charge and making decisions, but the tedious bureaucracy was starting to wear her down. She was reacting more testily when something didn't go according to plan and more than once she had to stop herself from yelling at her assistant for being the most incompetent being on the planet.

People didn't seem notice her change in demeanor, or at least they didn't comment about it to her face. Only Kathryn was brave enough to bring it up as they met for their usual coffee on Tuesdays.

"Regina what has been going on with you? You look like you haven't slept in days and David told me you tore him apart when he came to your office to speak about the animal shelter's budget plans for next year."

Regina clenched her jaw and closed her fingers tightly around her coffee mug. She immediately felt on the defensive. She was doing her job and she was being a wonderful mother to Henry, what else did everyone expect her to do? Go about her day with a goofy grin plastered on her face like that annoying little schoolteacher Mary-Margaret Blanchard?

"I'm fine," she replied tersely and forced a smile onto her face.

Kathryn leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her chest, eyes narrowing.

"No you're not. Don't try to hide this from me Regina. Something is bothering you. You know you can talk to me about whatever it is, we're friends, right?"

Regina took a quiet breath and nodded.

"You're right, we are friends, but it really is nothing. I've just been having a couple of stressful days and I haven't been sleeping. I admit I am a little off balance, but I'll make sure to take more time to relax."

Kathryn nodded and grabbed her mug, seemingly satisfied with that answer. She took a sip of coffee, her brows furrowing with whatever thought she was having.

"I think you and Henry should just take a weekend off. Do something fun together, get out of Storybrooke."

Regina was about to protest – she had so much work on her desk without taking a weekend off and if she neglected it for three whole days she would be so helplessly behind that the town would fall to pieces without her guidance.

"The town will survive a couple of days without you," Kathryn said as if reading Regina's mind.

She cocked her head to the side and gazed at something past Kathryn, thinking it through. Maybe taking time off and dedicating it to spend with Henry was the right thing to do. Regina found herself nodding.

"I guess you're right. It's a good idea, and Henry will also be having fun. Thank you Kathryn, I think I just needed a push in the right direction."

"You are more than welcome. Let me know if I can help with anything."

"I will."

When Regina came home from work that night, Henry dropping his backpack and hurrying up to his room to read the newest comic she'd bought him, she felt much better. That weekend would surely prove to be what she needed to get back on track.  
She prepared dinner with a smile, happy at the way Henry inhaled the spinach quiche and her chocolate mousse dessert. He was more than excited when she told him about her plan to get out of Storybrooke for a weekend and immediately assured her that anything she came up with would be fun.

She tucked him into bed with a gentle kiss to his forehead, leaving him to finish his comic with the flashlight he was hiding under his bed, thinking she didn't know about it.  
She retired to her study and poured herself a glass of cider while kicking off her shoes, standing on her plush gray carpet in stocking-clad feet. She sighed quietly and her eyes wandered to her massive desk at the other end of the room.

She had been putting this off for days now and it was about time she faced it and opened the damn envelope.

She had planned to open it as soon as she got home from Boston, but after her encounter with the blonde and their night at the hotel, she just hadn't had the strength to go through yet another potentially life-altering confrontation.  
She took sip of her cider and slowly walked over to the desk. Her lawyer had told her that he'd moved heaven and earth to retrieve that information and it sure had cost as much. She carefully placed her crystal glass on the marble surface of her desk and opened a drawer to her right. The black envelope was still where she'd placed it a few days ago, undisturbed and heavy on her mind. She remained standing and traced her fingertips across the envelope before picking it up and putting down in front of her on the desk. She pulled a blue folder out of it and placed it atop the envelope, still staring thoughtfully.

One flick of her wrist to flip it open and she would know who Henry's biological mother was. She took another sip of her cider and opened the folder. The glass tumbled out of her hand and smacked against the table before rolling away and falling to the ground. Cider was spreading across the marble, soaking the edges of the folder and drenching her carpet.

She couldn't believe her eyes. It was simply impossible.

She was staring at a booking photograph on the first page, showing a young woman with her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Even though the picture was in black and white, Regina knew that her curls were a radiant blonde. She remembered the feel of dragging her hands through them while holding the blonde's head between her legs.

She stumbled backward and sat in her black leather chair, gulping air into her lungs. She suddenly felt very lightheaded and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the room from spinning dangerously. This couldn't be real. It had to be some kind of ridiculous cruel nightmare.

The woman she'd slept with couldn't possibly be Henry's birth mother. Coincidences like that simply didn't exist, did they?

Her eyes flickered to the name printed below the picture.

_Emma Swan._

"Emma."

-TBC-


	4. Like Strangers

**A/N:** phew what a cliffhanger last time, I mean seriously, who writes that kind of… oh right.

* * *

**4.**

_Then it happened one day,  
We came round the same way  
You can imagine his surprise  
When he saw his own eyes  
I said please baby, please baby,_

_ please understand  
I'm in love with another man  
And what he couldn't give me  
Was the one little thing that you can_

_All I wanna do is make love to you_  
_One night of love was all we knew_  
_All I wanna do is make love to you_  
_Come on say you will, you want me too_

Regina laughed and glanced at Henry who was sitting beside her in the car with a big smile on his face. He cradled the stuffed version of Batman against his chest and continued retelling the latest adventure of the Dark Knight he'd read in his comic.

Ending their weekend by going to one of the biggest comic stores along the East Coast had been a great idea and Henry had loved every single minute of it. Regina gave herself a mental pat on the back, vowing that she would invite Kathryn to dinner or do something equally nice that showed her appreciation for her friend's advice.

Due to having to work overtime the last couple of weeks, she hadn't been able to take Henry out of Storybrooke for their weekend for another month, but now that she'd spent three days only being Henry' mom, not even thinking about her job, she felt happier than she had in months. She loved her little man more than anything or anyone.

One of Henry's favorite songs came on the radio and he turned the music up with a laugh, singing along to the silly pop song about a fox. Regina chuckled and shook her head, turning onto a street leading them back to Storybrooke. She was hoping they would make it in time for dinner so that she could treat Henry to a burger at Granny's for the grand finale of their weekend.

She rounded a corner and looked over at Henry who was starting to grow tired from the exciting day and barking along to the song on the radio. His head slowly but surely dipped to the side, his grip on Batman slackening slightly. She smiled at the sight and turned away when something by the side of the road caught her eye. She checked the review mirror if there were any cars behind her and slowed down.

Brown eyes widened with recognition. A large tree by the side of the road was neatly split in half, both sides haphazardly crashed into the trees surrounding it. The bark was black from where tiny flames had licked at it before the rain had quenched the fire. Regina inhaled a sharp breath through her nose and forced her eyes away.

No, she wasn't going to think about that anymore. In the last few weeks she had finally been able to sleep through the nights again and during her weekend with Henry she hadn't thought about it at all. She wasn't going to let it come back to her now.

She tightened her hands around the steering wheel and took several deeps breaths while working her jaw silently.

She didn't notice Henry calling her name until he poked a finger against her shoulder.

"Mom?"

She blinked several times before glancing at him. He was rubbing his eye while gazing at her with a furrowed brow.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes dear."

"Okay. I have to use a restroom."

"What?"

"I have to go to the bathroom," Henry said, rolling his eyes.

"Do you think -"

"No mom, I really have to go. I saw a sign back there, I think there is a hotel coming up soon."

Regina's heart started pounding uncomfortably.

"It's not far to Storybrooke."

"How far?"

"Two hours, maybe less."

"Mom!"

"Fine, alright, we'll stop. But you have to be quick, okay?"

"O-kay."

Henry was squirming in his seat by the time the hotel's sign came into view. Regina slowed down and pulled into the parking lot. Cold sweat was running down her neck and lower back while her face felt way too hot. Her mouth was dry and she licked her lips several times before turning to Henry. Usually she would've gotten out with him, just to keep an eye on him, but she couldn't move a single muscle.

"I'll be right back," Henry said, already opening the door and getting out.

"Be careful Henry. Just go to the front desk over there and ask if you can use the restroom, I'll be right here."

"Okay."

Henry slammed the door shut and hurried across the parking lot with brown eyes following his every move. He disappeared through the main doors and Regina's gaze flickered nervously over to the two-story building to her right, eyes tracking across the doors that still looked exactly like they had the last time.

There was absolutely no reason to be so frantic. It was not like she was going to run into her past here, now. She tapped her fingers against the steering wheel, engine still running. Henry was sure taking his time.

It occurred to her that it had been almost exactly two months since she'd last been here. She swallowed thickly, staring straight ahead at the entrance, willing Henry to return. She refused to think about any of this. She deserved a respite.

By the time he emerged from the building, Regina was chewing on her bottom lip while tapping her foot restlessly. She exhaled a loud breath at the sight of Henry approaching the car. It was more than time to leave. Back to Storybrooke, back to safety.

Suddenly the entire trip out of town didn't seem like such a good idea anymore.

"Ready?" she asked when Henry was safely back in the car, putting his seatbelt on.

"Yep."

She pulled out of her parking space, turn signal clearly indicating her intentions, when something yellow flashed in her rearview mirror and she had to slam on the brakes to avoid a collision.

She cursed under her breath, quiet enough for Henry not to hear, and twisted around in her seat to look for whatever had just cut her off. A yellow bug that had most definitely seen better days drove around a couple of parked cars until it found a spot right across from where Regina's Benz was still waiting motionless. She narrowed her eyes at the offending vehicle, contemplating whether she should give that person a lecture on responsible driving when a yellow door swung open and a woman emerged from within the confines of the death trap, eyes trained on Regina, gazing at her through the windshield that separated them.

All color drained from Regina's face as she stared unblinking at the woman across from her who seemed frozen to the spot. She swallowed past the lump that was rapidly forming in her throat and ignored the way her heart beat uncomfortably fast against her ribcage.

"Henry stay in the car."

He looked at her with questioning eyes but nodded.

"Okay."

Regina held the car door handle in a white-knuckled grip before opening the door and getting out. She didn't expect her knees to feel this wobbly but she barely made it past the hood of her car before she had to stop and take several deep breaths.

The blonde took a couple of steps toward her, leaving her car door wide open. Green-grayish eyes widened with an emotion Regina couldn't quite discern. She parted her lips to speak, but absolutely no sound made it out of her throat.

The blonde seemed to have similar troubles because her mouth opened but she didn't utter a single sound. Several moments of silence passed until the blonde closed the distance between them with three quick strides.

"Emma," she breathed out as if getting rid of something she'd held in for too long.

"What?" Regina asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"That's my name. Emma. I wanted you to know it."

A bitter little smile stole across her face. She knew the blonde's name alright. The sound of yet another car door opening and closing caused Emma's eyes to travel from Regina to something behind her.

"Mom?"

Regina's legs almost gave out. She stumbled to the side and had to brace herself against the hood of her car. She gasped quietly and tried to fight the nausea and lightheadedness suddenly enveloping her. Henry was beside her in the blink of an eye.

"Mom, are you alright?"

Two hands came to rest on her shoulder and hip and she stared into concerned green-grayish eyes as she looked up. The looks on Henry and Emma's faces were so hauntingly similar that Regina feared she might lose her stomach's contents at any moment when all she wanted was to throw Henry into the car and flee. She doubled over and groaned quietly.

"Hey kid, I'm Emma, a friend of your mom's. Think you can get her a bottle of water from the vending machine over there?"

Emma rummaged through a pocket of her red leather jacket and handed Henry a couple of bills. He nodded quickly and shot a concerned glance at his mom before hurrying across the parking lot. Emma didn't waste any time and wrapped an arm around Regina's middle to lead her back to her Benz. She opened the door with her free hand so Regina could sit sideways in the driver's seat, feet still hanging out of the car. Emma crouched down in front of Regina, peering up at her worriedly.

"Better?"

Regina nodded and swallowed thickly, moistening her dry lips with the tip of her tongue.

"I'm sorry for coming back into your life like this, that's not what I wanted. "

"Why are you here?" Regina eventually managed to ask.

"Oh well I just happened to be in the area…uh… I guess in the hope of seeing you again," Emma said, a faint blush creeping up her neck.

Regina's eyes widened. Henry rushed back to them and handed her a bottle of cold water before she could even think to say anything. She smiled at him and dragged a hand through his hair.

"Thank you dear."

She uncapped the bottle and took a long drink, watching Henry and Emma side by side out of the corner of her eyes. This was absolutely not how she'd planned her weekend to end. Absolutely not.

"Are you okay mom?"

"I am, don't worry honey, I think I just got a bit tired from driving."

"Okay," Henry said, shooting her a look that was supposed to tell that she better not lie to him. She smiled but her lips turned into a frown when Henry addressed Emma.

"Thanks for helping my mom. She usually doesn't get tired or sick easily."

"No problem kid, it's the least I could do."

"I'm Henry by the way."

"Nice to meet you," Emma answered with a smile and grasped his smaller hand he offered in a gentle handshake. They both looked down at their entwined hands for a moment before letting go and focusing on Regina who had turned an even paler shade of white.

"Woah, you look like you're going to pass out," Emma said, immediately leaning forward while still crouching in front of her.

"I think I might," Regina answered, breathing heavily.

Cold sweat was running down her back and her fingertips felt like icicles while her hands were shaking uncontrollably.

"Maybe you should lie down," Henry suggested, turning questioning eyes to Emma who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I think he's right. If you have been really driving for a while you need some rest, and more water."

Emma tapped the bottom of the water bottle for emphasis and waited until Regina had taken another swig from it.

"Come on, I have a room where you can just relax for a bit, okay?"

"But you just got here," Regina said, still feeling like this was some awful nightmare.

"I called and made reservations," Emma answered with a small shrug. She moved to stand and stretched her legs. Regina slowly shook her head.

"I'm okay, really, I don't need to lie down."

"Mom you look like when I had the flu and I was in bed for like a week," Henry said.

"But I'm not sick dear, I'm just -"

"He's right, you can't drive in your condition anyway."

It was two against one and it didn't seem like Regina was going to get out of this anytime soon. Emma was right, she couldn't drive like this and she simply needed a moment of peace to calm down and regroup. This was too much, even for her.

She mechanically grabbed her purse from the backseat and stood. Henry reached out and took the purse from her while Emma's hands hovered close in case she passed out or something equally humiliating happened. She locked the car and shoved the keys into her coat pocket before waiting for Emma to lock her own yellow monstrosity. She led them across the parking and to a door on the first floor which she promptly opened to let Regina in.

The room looked exactly like the one she remembered, a bed to her left and a dresser and television to her right. Memories of images and sounds assaulted her senses as she moved to the bed and sat down heavily. She leaned forward and buried her hands in her face for a moment.

She looked up to find Emma gazing at her with a strange mixture of expressions dancing across her face. Henry walked through the door behind her and moved over to the bed where he gently coaxed Regina to lay down, with shoes and all.

"Just take a nap and we go home after that, okay mom? It'll make you feel better, like when I come home from school and I'm like really exhausted sometimes you tell me to take a nap."

Regina smiled at that and nodded.

"That's true."

"We'll just go over to the diner down the street and have an early dinner, how about that?" Emma suggested, glancing at Henry. He turned large hopeful eyes to Regina who sighed quietly. This was certainly not how she had imagined this to go, not that she'd imagined any of it at all. But now that she was lying on the bed, she did feel pretty tired and a little nap sounded more and more tempting. She just needed a break from this mess, if only for an hour or so. She wouldn't be able to handle any of it the way she was currently feeling.

So she nodded.

"Okay, but make sure to wake me when you get back."

"Thanks mom."

Henry smiled and bounded out the door. "Let's go."

"Coming, wait up for me," Emma called after him before she turned to Regina and smiled. "I'll take care of him don't worry. Just try to relax for a bit, okay? I'm sorry Regina, that you're not feeling well, I guess I'm kind of responsible for that, so it's the least I can do."

Regina's eyes widened.

"My name… how do you…?"

Emma smiled and cocked her head to the side.

"Your note. Your name was on it."

"Oh," she said quietly and nodded.

She waited until Emma had closed the door quietly before taking a deep shuddering breath. She had just let Henry take off with his birth mother, a virtual stranger. What if she knew? What if this was a trick to take him from her? Panic rose in her throat like waves crashing against the shore, but she fought the urge to jump up and follow after them, telling herself that there was absolutely no way Emma could know what was going on.

For some completely inexplicable reason she trusted Emma – trusted her enough to let her take off with Henry.

She draped her arm over her eyes, lying on the bed completely dressed, heart pounding loudly in her ears, realizing that her life had just gotten infinitely more complicated.


End file.
